Allie D’Angelo ’20
Registered town voters will elect Westport’s next First Selectman on Nov. 7. Westport’s current First Selectman, Republican Jim Marpe, will be running for re-election against Democratic candidate Melissa Kane, Independent candidate John Suggs and unaffiliated candidate Timothy Elgin.
On Oct. 12, the four nominees participated in a debate at the Westport Library, hosted by the Westport/Weston Chamber of Commerce.
“The object of [the debate] is to find the differences between the candidates,” Matthew Mandell, Executive Director of the Westport/Weston Chamber of Commerce, said.
The debate consisted of discussions about Westport’s art community and promoting Westport’s downtown stores.
Marpe advocated for the importance of investing in infrastructure and amenities, keeping tax rates flat, and increasing Westport’s reputation through the school systems and the arts community. He believes that this presents Westport as a suitable town for families to work and live in.
“Amazon can’t treat you to a romantic dinner,” Marpe said on the topic of making Westport’s business unique, “and [Westport must] leverage the fact that we don’t look like a giant strip mall.”
Opposing Marpe and running with Rob Simmelkjaer, Kane currently holds a position as chair of the Westport Democratic Committee.
“We have to do some creative thinking,” Kane said on the topic of reviving Westport’s art community. Kane pitched ideas such as pop-up shops and accommodating Westport’s large amounts of local artists.
“It’s essential that we have someone in that role focused on making Westport competitive and economically sustainable into the future,” Kane added.
Kane believes in focusing Westport’s businesses around the large numbers of Westport’s local artists and is uncertain whether high end retail will fully leave Westport.
Suggs, running alone, has been a member of the Representative Town Meeting for 10 years before deciding to run for First Selectman.
“I was approached by people from both parties to consider it, people whom I respect who asked if I would consider running as an Independent,” Suggs said in an interview with WestportNow. After talking with his family, he decided to run.
Suggs advocates to rebuild Westport’s downtown to attract residents of all ages, including teenagers, and establish a nightlife for Westport residents.
One of the largest changes Suggs would implement is to remove Westport’s Master Plan Committee, which is used to attract high end retail to Westport.
“I would disband the Master Plan Committee[…] because it is going after the wrong issue. It is going after how to enhance high end retail and high end retail is not coming back,” Suggs said.
Elgin, the final candidate running for First Selectman, remains an unaffiliated elect. According to the Westport News, Elgin has not held a position in the town office but has volunteered for many years and “enjoys helping people and problem solving.”
Elgin has recently been nominated the President of the National Institute of Science, due to his developments of “cleaner, safer water, and more energy efficient programs,” Elgin said.
Elgin stated the importance of reaching out to Westport residents with stores other than high end retail and more stores with a range of prices.
“We want storefronts that will stay,” Elgin explained, reiterating the idea of prices that can accommodate more than the upper class in Westport.
Rohan Goswami ’18 is one of the few Staples students who is eligible and plans on voting in the upcoming election.
“The only way to really participate fully is to inform yourself thoroughly about every issue, and if it interests you, to volunteer for that cause,” Goswami said. “Political involvement begins at the local level and it’s super important that everyone exercises their right to vote.”